• 1761: Founding by Claude Bourgelat of the first Veterinary School in the world, in Lyon.

• From 1761 to 1825: numerous attempts by the city of Toulouse and the General Council of Haute-Garonne to establish a veterinary school.

• January 29th, 1793: order of the Prefect to create a veterinary school in Toulouse to train 36 local students yearly, selected by district directories from the sons of local blacksmiths only. Free access rights to a course of 4 months duration, leading to a certificate at the end of the training. Yet, this order was followed by no actual creation of a veterinary school.

• 1804, General Inspector Huzard was commissioned by Home Secretary Chaptal to choose between Cahors and Toulouse the best site for the future veterinary school. Chaptal opted for Toulouse.

• 1806: The Société d'Agriculture de la Haute Garonne decided to implement the project designed by the General Council in 1793 and to start two courses in veterinary medicine in a school located within the botanical gardens of Toulouse. There was considerable success but the training was insufficient: the syllabus was incomplete, the duration of the studies was not determined and there was no diploma validating the courses.

• June 23rd, 1807: The Prefect required from the Minister the creation of a school organised according to the pattern of those in Lyon and Alfort. Baron Malaret, Chairman of the Société d'Agriculture presented a brief memorandum to the Emperor on the occasion of one of his visits to Toulouse. The request was answered positively and a decree was passed on July 27th 1808 to institute an Imperial Veterinary School in the outbuildings of the Jardin des Plantes. Prefect Desmousseaux de Givré had the following list established: plans, detailed estimates, administrative regulations for 60 students, a five-year education and a military-like discipline. All these documents were sent to the Ministry and remained unanswered.
On January 15th 1813, a new decree declared that the 1808 decree was dead. The government refused to reconsider its decision.

• On July 6th 1825, Charles X, through a royal edict, announced, once again, the creation of the school.

• From 1825 onwards: the city of Toulouse temporarily rented the "Benech" estate, located in the Saint-Michel area, 49, rue des 36 ponts. The school opened on October 1st 1828 under the direction of Professor Dupuy from Alfort School and was officially inaugurated on November 7th 1828. Students came in large numbers.

      Choosing a permanent site where to build the school was difficult. The commission in charge of making this choice decided on a piece of land facing the Allées d'Angoulème (now Allées Jean Jaurès), at the foot of Calvinet hill. The construction plans were designed by Laffont, a county architect and the first stone was laid on February 8th 1832. The first academic year started in October 1834 and the official inauguration took place on August 22nd 1835. In 1898, the teachers' body was divided in 10 Chairs. From 1878 to 1898, the number of students was between 160 and 175, that is to say classes of 40-45 students. According to a report by Professor Labat, between the years 1860 and 1873 consultations ran to a yearly average of 7800 animals presenting 825 different pathologies.

     The school counted among its teachers Masters and eminent scholars scientists; Toussaint, the unrecognised precursor of Pasteur, Laulanié, a disciple and successor of Claude Bernard, Leclainche and Vallée, both distinguished bacteriologists, Cuillé and Chelle...

     During the summer 1899, a serious accident destroyed a great part of the administrative buildings among which the library.
On August 1899, the Mayor of Toulouse called for the school to be transferred outside the gates of the city. In march 1900, the Ministry of Agriculture set up a commission chaired by General Inspector J.B.A. Chauveau and composed, among others, of Laulanié, the Dean of the school.

     Several projects were worked out and then given up.

• Yet, in1955, the city of Toulouse decided on the purchase of a piece of land spreading over 41 hectares and located Chemin des Capelles. From 1954 onwards, at General Inspectors G.Petit's and JCl. Godfrain's instigation, the number of Chairs rose from 10 to 15.
• The plans and construction projects were designed by General Inspector Petit and by Professor Pons, Dean. The first stone was laid in 1961 and the first phase of the work was completed in 1964. The first academic year in this brand new though unfinished school took place in October 1964.

The National Veterinary College of Toulouse has had a strange destiny but, in spite of misadventures, it has always kept forging ahead !

For further information:

• ANONYME: Le Centenaire de l'Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de
  Toulouse (1828-1928). Toulouse, Imp. J.Bonnet, 1928
• CACHOT Corentin: L'Enseignement vétérinaire de Toulouse, de
  1825 à 1925. Vie et œuvres des Professeurs et Directeurs. Thèse
  Doctorat Vétérinaire, Toulouse, 2001, N° 4129
• CLAIR Michel: Histoire de la création de l'Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire
  de Toulouse. Thèse Doctorat Vétérinaire, Toulouse, 1965.
• FOUCHIER J.: L'Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse et ses "
  Illustres ".Revue Med.vét., 1981, 132, 2, 91-106.
  LAUTIE R.: L'histoire de l'Ecole Nationale vétérinaire de Toulouse.
  Revue Méd. vet., 1981, 132, 1, 15-31.
• MINISTERE de l'AGRICULTURE: L'Ecole Nationale Vétérinaire de
  Toulouse et la profession vétérinaire. Toulouse, Imprimerie et
  Librairie E. Privat, 1923.

Toulouse, June 14th 2003
Professor Guy BODIN